SALEM — The city council heard concerns from multiple people about the possibility of the city’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) being permitted to be in effect during the annual Salem Super Cruise at its meeting Thursday. 

Two ordinances concerning the DORA were on the agenda Thursday, one which would renew the DORA for the next five years, and another which would remove current prohibition against the DORA’s operation during the weekend of the Super Cruise and designate the DORA as being “for all events in the city of Salem… unless those events or specific areas of those events are designated as non-DORA in the event application and approved by [the city] council.” 

Both ordinances were given their first reading by the city council. However, during a mandatory public hearing for feedback on the DORA prior to its renewal, several people asked the city council to reconsider the ordinance which would remove the Super Cruise prohibition. 

All the speakers cited concerns that with the high volumes of people that attend the Super Cruise permitting the DORA, which allows people to purchase alcohol from a participating bar or restaurant in a designated cup and freely walk around within the DORA boundaries, would make the event more difficult to police. They also argued that the Super Cruise represented only one weekend each year where the DORA could not be in effect. 

“Talking with a lot of car people I realize the DORA and the Super Cruise don’t go together. They don’t play well together. I think you’ve got two choices. Either get rid of the DORA, or the Super Cruise, which brings thousands of people into Salem to shop for the whole weekend. I would think you could give up the DORA for one weekend for the Salem cruise,” said Bill Greenamyer. 

They also reiterated concerns that spilling an alcoholic drink on a car, especially show-cars and antique cars like the ones displayed at the Super Cruise, could cause extensive damage. 

“Cars and booze do not mix, especially fancy cars. When you’ve got a lot of money involved in them, you don’t want somebody walking up to it and spilling a beer inside. That’s going to cost you, not him, damages,” said Bill Preston. 

Former Super Cruise Director Gene Johnson, who previously spoke against permitting the DORA to be in effect during the cruise in the city council’s April 21 meeting, reiterated concerns that allowing the DORA during the cruise and the possibility of a car being damaged as a result would drive away enthusiasts and car clubs who have been supporting the Super Cruise since 2006. Johnson also argued that the suggestion to designate certain sections of the downtown area, like the large municipal parking lot near the Timberlanes Complex, would not work since cruise participants set up all across the city. 

“You can’t just say ‘nobody can go into the parking lot on Pershing.’ We have people that park in different places on Pershing anywhere they can get a spot, they park on South Broadway, they park at the Methodist Church parking lot, anywhere they can find they pull off and park then walk into town,” said Johnson. “These are the guys with classic cars so you can’t restrict it to a little parking lot area and say you can drink anywhere you want but here. Because these people are parking anywhere they can to get into town.” 

Cruise Director Brian May said that he understands the worries of both car owners and business owners, and that the Super Cruise cannot exist without both. He said that while he would like to be able to have a compromise where the DORA could be permitted in only certain areas, he is unsure how it could be enforced. 

“There can be up to $2 million worth of vehicles in that Pershing Street lot at any given time on any day. A lot of people don’t understand how car guys are, but we’re weird. We don’t like stuff messing with our cars. These are our babies; these are our pride and joy,” said May. “I hope that we can come up with something, I don’t like that there’s this kind of conflict between the two sides. I want businesses to make as much money as they can, I want the car owners to be able to kick back and not worry about stuff like that.” 

Scott Larick, the owner of the OG on Broadway Avenue, argued that the proposed ordinance only removes the inherent restriction, and that event planners would still be able to designate an event as non-DORA in their applications and allow the question “to be looked at every year.” He also reiterated past arguments that when the DORA was briefly in effect in error during last year’s Super Cruise, there were no reported issues. 

During his report, City Law Director Brooke Zellers also discussed the DORA, noting that he had observed some common misconceptions about the DORA online and when speaking with people about it. He clarified that the DORA does not permit people to bring their own alcohol, nor to walk outside with alcohol in a personal container. To participate in the DORA, all drinks must be purchased from a participating business in the designated and clearly labeled DORA cups. He also said that someone who is intoxicated is not permitted to purchase an alcoholic beverage in the DORA cup, nor are DORA businesses permitted to sell one to them. 

Other matters reviewed included first readings of a resolution authorizing Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey to enter into an agreement with Tetra Tech to support development activities at the Salem Industrial Park not to exceed $3,200, and an ordinance authorizing appropriations and transfers. 

Dickey said that the agreement with Tetra Tech was to begin the process of preparing the currently unusable land in the industrial park, totaling approximately 52.5 acres, for developers through wetland mitigation. 

During his report, Utilities Superintendent Butch Donnalley said that work on the South Ellsworth Avenue water main replacement project could begin as early as Friday. 

The city council will meet next at 7 p.m. on May 19.